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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25292635">I’ll be true</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/corporation_tshirt/pseuds/corporation_tshirt'>corporation_tshirt</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Beatles (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Insecure John Lennon, John and Paul except here they know how healthy communication works, Kinda?, M/M, Moving In Together, Slow Dancing</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:53:06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,798</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25292635</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/corporation_tshirt/pseuds/corporation_tshirt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“I can’t believe we’re actually moved in.” Paul said, earnest astonishment dripping through his voice. </p><p>Laughing lightly John wrapped his arms around Paul’s middle and he could feel the nod against him rather than see it. “I know. George owes me ten quid now.”</p><p>-</p><p>Soft boys move in together and talk about it. That’s literally it. Set in a somewhat modern setting where The Beatles don’t exist or at least aren’t famous- don’t put too much thought into it, because I certainly didn’t.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>John Lennon &amp; Paul McCartney, John Lennon/Paul McCartney</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>I’ll be true</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this 100 percent just for myself because for once I wanted to write a soft, established and uncomplicated John and Paul Oneshot. It’s a little messy, but anyway!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Moving day had turned out less tedious than he expected. At least they made a day of it. </p><p>Now though, Paul was starting to get fed up. Sweat was trickling down the back of his neck as he carefully sat down the box in his hands, leaving him with an uncomfortable sense of unease and he turned around to look at the stack behind him, waiting to be unpacked as well. Somehow it seemed like it struggled to get any smaller, no matter what he did. </p><p>“Help me with this box, will you?” </p><p>Paul stemmed his fists against his sides as he threw a demanding glare over his shoulder and towards John, whose only response was a disgruntled groan, muffled by the couch cushions. Spreading his limbs over the only piece of functional furniture, he rolled over, pointedly ignoring his boyfriends command. </p><p>“John.” Paul insisted, voice stern. </p><p>“Good grief Paul, give it a fucking rest already. We’ve been at this for nine hours.”</p><p>“Yes, and maybe we’d be done already if you got off the bloody couch and helped me for once.” </p><p>A biting tone slipped into his voice as he let the frustration take over him. He wanted this to be done, now, but his boyfriend barely seemed to care. In terms of not starting a fight on their very first day of living together though, he pulled himself together and forced him to an apologetic sigh, before John could jump on his provocation with the usual irritation. </p><p>“Please?” he added through gritted teeth, running a hand through the damp strands of hair that were clinging to his forehead. </p><p>John sat up, piercing through him with a determined glare and shook his head wildly, suddenly much more awake than just a few minutes before. “No. I’m fucking knackered and I know, beneath all that Macca ADHD energy, you are too. Let’s just finish this tomorrow.”</p><p>Maybe John’s suggestion wasn’t completely unreasonable, but Paul wasn’t ready to admit defeat just yet. </p><p>“We don’t even have a bed. Where did you plan we sleep tonight?” </p><p>With those words, the frown coloring John’s face quickly melted into a suggestive, toothy smirk. So quickly, that Paul didn’t even catch on to what was happening until he was suddenly standing right in front of him, wrapping his arms around Paul's waist and inching his way down to his bottom.</p><p>“We don't have to sleep at all, if you catch my drift…”  </p><p>The way John whispered the words into Paul’s ears lost every sense of seriousness, thanks to his bushy eyebrows, comically waggling up and down. </p><p>When Paul halfheartedly tried to shove him away, the grasp on his hips only tightened and he rolled his eyes, though he couldn’t quite fight the smile that tugged at the corners of his mouth. He wanted to stay mad at John, wanted to push this a little further, but the gentle kisses carefully placed at the top of his neck were making that increasingly difficult. </p><p>“Stop it.” he murmured against his boyfriend's warm touch. </p><p>“C’mon.” John’s breath sent a shiver down Paul’s spine, “We can sack up on the couch, or blow up one of those air mattresses.”</p><p>With a determined tug he pulled him closer, closing the space between their chests as John buried his nose in his shoulder. Sighing, he accepted this lost battle and finally raised his arms to cradle his boyfriends figure pressed against him. </p><p>As much as he wanted to push through and keep working, he still couldn’t deny that John had been right when he said he was exhausted. Just the thought of curling up on the sofa weighed heavy on his lids and he could feel himself melt under John’s gentle hands, stroking up and down his back. Over the last few weeks everything had been nothing but stressful- the endless searching for an affordable flat, signing all the legal stuff, packing up both their places- they barely had one minute to themselves. But even now that that was all over, Paul still struggled to simply let go and relax for a blissful moment. </p><p>Only in this second, enveloped by his lover's warmth, the tension between his shoulder blades seemed to ease out and he breathed, deeply, freely. </p><p>“You’re a pig, Lennon.” Paul hummed into the air, wordlessly complying as John carefully led them back towards the couch. </p><p>While they fell back into the soft cushions, his boyfriend's arms still closed around him, an affirmatory noise escaped John’s throat, tickling the baby hairs at the back of Paul’s neck. </p><p>“Well, but you knew that before you asked me to live with you. Don’t try and pin that on me.” </p><p>Chuckling lowly Paul shook his head. He leaned back, let his cheek rest against John’s bony shoulder and gazed across the room, trying to imagine how it would look like once everything was furnished. It was exciting to think about it as their home, the place they’d always come back to. </p><p>Technically living together wouldn’t make much of a difference. They had been dating for a couple of years now and basically already lived in each other's pockets, what with their joint job as a songwriting team and all. But having a flat together was still a big step and an even bigger commitment, to each other, and to their shared future. </p><p>Ever since they started going out, things had always been complicated in one way or another. Now it finally seemed like everything was falling into place, easily and naturally. </p><p>“I can’t believe we’re actually moved in.” Paul said, earnest astonishment dripping through his voice. </p><p>Laughing lightly John wrapped his arms around Paul’s middle and he could feel the nod against him rather than see it. “I know. George owes me ten quid now.”</p><p>With a confused frown Paul turned his head to cast a glance at the other .“You made a bet?” </p><p>“Yes, he told me we’d never go through with it. I told him to stick his know-it-all attitude where the sun don’t shine.” </p><p>The thought of John wildly defending their relationship against George chased a grin onto Paul’s face, even though he knew that George’s snarky comments were always in good spirits.  </p><p>“Well you can’t really blame him, can you? There were moments when I didn’t think we’d go through with it.”</p><p>“I wasn’t so sure if you would either, but I don’t need that big eared bastard to know that.” </p><p>It took a second for Paul to realize what was bothering him about that sentence, but when he did, he quickly freed himself from John’s grasp to sit up properly and stare at his boyfriend, face scrunched together. </p><p>“What do you mean ‘me’?” he asked, trying to keep the offence he took out of his voice and failing miserably. “You had your doubts too, I know you did.”</p><p>Theatrically exhaling John rolled his eyes and propped himself up as well. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch Macca. We all know that if someone was gonna back out of this, it would’ve been you.”</p><p>“Are you insane? It was me who asked you to get a flat together in the first place!” </p><p>“Oh come on. I’ve seen you get angry over a fucking grassstain on your pants! Who would expect you to live with me?”</p><p>The mental image of John’s old place popped into Paul’s head, the floor covered with worn clothes and dirty dishes and he felt his nose wrinkle up. He himself wasn’t particularly tidy, not as a Liverpooler working class bloke, but he still liked everything to be in place. John’s was not only messy, but also tediously lazy. </p><p>Maybe his assumption wasn’t that far off. But while Paul did think about that as something that could cause a potential problem before moving in, all those little peeves were promptly cancelled out by the sheer thought of living with John. </p><p>Waking up next to him. Falling asleep on the couch, their couch, together, watching telly and complaining about the bad programme- it was all these trivial things that had excited Paul more than he could ever be annoyed by his boyfriend’s ill manners. </p><p>He stared into John’s brown eyes, brows raised in defiance, as if he was waiting for him to disagree. Paul sighed, full well knowing that those doubts came from a place of deep rooted insecurity, that was always lingering between his self assured mask if you only cared to look carefully enough. And Paul did care. He could see it in the way John gazed at him early in the morning, eyes wide open with a dangerous mix of amazement and fright, could feel it in the tight clasp on his shirt when he had too much too to drink, clutching Paul like he was terrified to watch him disappear. </p><p>It stung to witness his boyfriend so unsure of the bond they shared. Sometimes it even made him angry. There had been moments when the lack of trust had hurt too much to see the true reason behind it and though yelling at John did feel satisfying for a second, it always left him with a horrible feeling of shame. Shame because he didn’t know how to assure him, when Paul’s words rarely seemed to reach him. </p><p>Placing a hand on John’s shoulder in a wary gesture of comfort, Paul bit his lip nervously. “I expected it. I mean I want to- live with you, that is. That’s why I suggested it, you know.”</p><p>“Yes, yes. Don’t get all weepy on me now, Paulie. Geo is still betting on you running out in a week.”</p><p>John waved his hands dismissively, though he couldn’t quite hide the uncertainty between those words and stared out of the window, evidently avoiding Paul’s eyes. </p><p> “I won’t, though.” The frown on his face hardened as he spoke, this time with an unwavering voice, trying his hardest to leave no doubt to the sincerity of his words. “You know that, don’t you?” </p><p>The silence that followed cut deep into Paul’s flesh as he realized that his boyfriend truly didn’t know. John looked down, fixing his glare onto the hands folded in his lap, worrying his lip just like Paul knew himself to do on many occasions. He seemed younger like that, Paul found, younger and profoundly terrified. </p><p>Seconds passed and his mind was running, reaching for the right words to say or simply for something he could do to make all of the others' inner demons just disappear, but nothing came up. In a movement of sheer desperation he lunged forward, grabbing John’s face and pressing their lips together fiercely. Their teeth clashed and for the first second he could feel John tense up under his grasp, though he quickly seemed to catch himself and move his hands up to Paul’s sides. </p><p>The kiss wasn’t soft or gentle. Paul was pressing against him, almost painfully, aiming to let all his devotion ebb into their touch and John tried to reciprocate as best as he could, clutching him and taking everything in. </p><p>With a gasp they tore away from each other, panting as they caught their breaths, Paul’s hands not yet leaving his lovers cheeks and he pulled him into a warm hug, inhaling his familiar, soothing scent. </p><p>“Believe me, won’t you?” he mumbled into the soft fabric of his shirt, not even entirely sure if John had heard him. But he could feel the arms around him squeeze ever so slightly and figured that that would have to be answer enough for now. </p><p>When they let go, a few moments of uneasy silence went by. Even after years of being together Paul still felt so unsure of himself when it came to being open and vulnerable, and he knew that that had hurted their relationship more than once. But though there was still a sense of awkwardness in raw conversations like these, he could at least notice that they were making progress and that, unlike to when they first started going out, they both were willing to take a step outside their comfort zone in favor of improving the communication between them.</p><p>John fumbled around with the hem of his shirt a little nervously, opening his mouth as if he wanted to say something but staying quiet instead until his eyes seemed to catch a glimpse of something behind Paul. The soft brown color lit up, seemingly being reminded of something and he quickly lifted himself off the couch, crossing the room to a pile of unorganized stuff. </p><p>“I uh- I wanted to show you something I found when I was packing up all my stuff.” he explained, shooting Paul an uncertain grin while he opened the small container standing in front of him. </p><p>Curiously he sat up straighter, stretching his neck to make out what it was that John was turning in his hands. “Did you now?” </p><p>There was a timid expression haunting his boyfriend's face as he sat back down, nodding slightly. His eyes fidgeted from Paul’s face to the small black music cassette lying in the palm of his hands and finally he let out a deep sigh, trusting it into his boyfriends fingers. </p><p>“A mixtape?” he asked, eyes wide open.</p><p>“I made it for you, back in Menlove when we first met. But I was too much of a wanker to give it to you.”</p><p>For a second it seemed like the words had knocked out all the air in Paul’s lungs and he could do nothing but stare at John, mouth agape. The tape felt heavier in his hold than they should have. On the other side he could see the scribbled words ‘for Paul’ etched into the cassette with his messy handwriting, suddenly setting free a storm of butterflies in his stomach and he didn’t even try to hide the blinding smile creeping up to his face. </p><p>Neither of them were big on great declarations of their love and affection, neither really knew how to go all out on sappy romantic gestures, but Paul did know John well enough to see the emotional importance this mixtape held and he cherished it, truly.</p><p>Grinning, he pressed a small kiss against John’s cheek. When he pulled away, their eyes met and the tentative smile he was gifted in return felt warm and fuzzy in his gut. </p><p>“Well!” Paul laughed as he hopped up from where he was sitting. “Let’s pop it in, shall we?”</p><p>With John’s endearing snickering in his ears he packed out his beloved cassette player, plugged it into the wall and carefully let the cassette slide into the port. As soon as he hit play, he jumped up, turning around to face his boyfriend with an inviting twist in his hip. The first notes of the song filled the air and Paul could feel his heart stutter as he recognized the familiar tune. </p><p>“Buddy Holly? You really were laying it on thick, weren’t you?” </p><p>“‘Course I did.” John joined Paul next to the boombox, extending a gentle hand, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards as he spoke.  “Had to if I wanted to get your pants off, didn’t I.” </p><p>Paul took the hand, felt their fingers entwine in a motion so blissfully familiar and laughed loudly against the music. </p><p>
  <i> “You are my one desire” </i>
</p><p>The slow beat and Buddy Holly's deep voice wavered around them, building an invisible spell that tied them together, enveloping each other in their arms. John’s feet moved to the sound, carefully tugging Paul with him as they danced, grinning widely.</p><p>
  <i> “You set my heart on fire.” </i>
</p><p>With a sigh Paul rested his chin on John’s shoulder, inhaling the moment with everything he had. He had dreaded this day for weeks, not wanting to put up with the packing and dragging and in the process completely overlooking what the day actually meant, which was taking a big step into a future next to John. Maybe that would have scared him a few months, maybe even a few weeks ago, but right now in this second, dancing with him to Buddy Holly in their place he couldn’t think of anything less scary. </p><p>
  <i> “Your eyes, your lips and your smile, they make my life so worthwhile” </i>
</p><p>John tightened his arms around him, breathing warmly into his neck and Paul could feel the tremble in his shoulders as he pulled away just enough to let their eyes meet. His face unreadable with emotion, John stared at him.</p><p>“I believe you.” </p><p>Smiling softly, Paul nodded, moving his hand to cup his cheek. Those words might not always be true, but in this moment, he had trust that they were. </p><p> </p><p>
  <i> “You’ll never know how much I love you</i>
</p><p>
  <i>If you will be my own - I will be true” </i>
</p>
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